With the latest iOS 27 developer beta, Apple is giving testers a first look at one of the upcoming improvements to its AI-powered Siri: the ability to adjust how quickly and expressively the AI assistant speaks. In iOS 27 beta 3, released today, Apple has enabled voice controls for “Pace” and “Expressivity” that were previously called “Coming soon” in early developer betas.
The update is part of Apple’s broader effort to make Siri feel more natural and personal, as it rebuilds the assistant around genetic artificial intelligence. Like ChatGPT and others that offer AI voice assistants, the ability for users to customize the way the AI sounds is an important aspect of connecting people with new technology.
However, ChatGPT’s voice customization options allow users to go even further, as the ability to customize the warmth and excitement of the AI it was rolling it will be released in December 2025, along with options to configure the basic style and tone. The latter allows users to customize the OpenAI assistant to be more friendly, professional, honest, or quirky, among other styles. This is reflected not only in the way ChatGPT speaks, but also in the way it presents information to the user.
Siri Voice Controls, first unveiled at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 26) in June, allow users to personalize their Siri experience beyond choosing a male or female voice assistant. Now beta testers will be able to switch between a range of voices with different accents, then use sliders to change how slow or fast Siri speaks and how much human emotion her voice conveys.
As you make adjustments, Siri will practice saying some common things, like “You have a new message,” so you can get a feel for what different voices sound like.
The AI version of Siri is deeply integrated into the updated version of iOS, where it will allow iPhone owners to initiate conversations by speaking, swiping down from the Dynamic Island at the top of the screen and typing, pressing the phone’s side button, or even using the all-new standalone Siri app.
Other, smaller updates are also rolling out with iOS 27 beta 3, including one updated Reminders app icon. (We should note that some people on X also report losing access to the new Siri after the update, or seeing their phone start indexing their data again — usually the first step in optimizing Siri AI for search.)
